Becoming Number One
by Silas Dane
Summary: You know what they always say, right? Behind every great man is an even better woman. In order to become number one and become the greatest hero, Katsuki Bakugo is going to have to learn that it requires growth. Growth that can only come from two people working together to achieve the same goal. Katsuki and Ochaco are complete polar opposites. But they make their relationship work.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: All source content belongs to Kohei Horikoshi. The cover photo belongs to**_ ** _音次郎. I don't know the reading on his name, but the credits go to him for the amazing piece of art._**

 _ **A/N: I don't know who won the U.A. Festival, yet. So in this fan fiction, I'm going to make it a draw between Todoroki and Bakugo. But I am excited to see what will happen in that match up in the canon series. Also, I don't really plan on putting too much focus on this fan fiction. It will all depend on how much attention this fan fiction gets. If it gets a lot, I'll put more focus on it. If it doesn't I'll update it less regularly. That is all.**_

 ** _Silas Dane_**

* * *

 _She's still . . . not dead!_

"Thank you, Bakugo . . . for not letting your guard down." Uraraka said.

"Huh?"

 _What is she up to? . . ._

"I'm gonna win!" She shouted.

Bakugo looked up, seeing the impending shower of debris.

 _Damn . . . She tricked me . . . BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH!_

Pointing his hand up towards the falling debris, he concentrates all of his stored up power. The jolt of muscle pain caused him to grunt in pain, but it was overpowered by the thundering explosion that shot out of his hand, blasting away the girl's desperate plan.

"I thought you'd be up to something . . . " Bakugo said.

"B-Bakugo delivers a satisfying explosion!" Present Mic's shocked voice boomed in the speakers. "He blasts boldly through Uraraka's secret plan!"

Uraraka turns around from her state of shock and charges Bakugo.

 _She still wants some more, huh?! I'll kill- what?!_

Uraraka loses her footing, falling forward on the ground. He stopped his attack, now just standing still and watching the fatigued girl. She kept trying to crawl forward even though she clearly could not stand anymore.

"I also . . . I . . . I'll become . . . a hero!"

 _Her . . . become a hero? . . . This weak extra? . . ._

Midnight comes onto the battle stage and stops Bakugo, checking on Uraraka. "Uraraka's out of commision. Bakugo advances to the second round!"

The announcement and the match itself. It was no surprise to Bakugo. He knew he would win because of how weak Uraraka was compared to him, but . . . he didn't expect her to put up a decent fight. There was still a noticeable fire burning in her eyes.

He looked at her jacket that she threw to distract him, the black stain from his explosion still there. Then watched as medical technicians took Uraraka off the battle stage.

 _. . . Who is this chick?_

* * *

 _She came up with that plan by herself? . . ._

Bakugo had just talked with Deku, who was walking by while he was making his way to the stands. Of course, he was pissed off that Deku looked down on him and was bold in his speech.

The other classmates on the stands also showed distaste towards his battle with Uraraka, calling him merciless. He just wanted them to all shut up . . . but now that he thought about it, Uraraka hasn't come back to the stands yet. She probably was still being healed by Recovery Girl.

"Wow, Ka-chan. You don't show any mercy, even if-"

"I said shut up! Any more of that crap and I'll kill all of you!" He growled, crossing his arms.

Time passed by and more battles progressed. Bakugo had fun taking down Tokoyami, proving to everyone how powerless his Quirk was against Bakugo's. Now it was time for his match with half-and-half bastard.

After a long fifteen minute battle, both of them could not fight any longer.

"Damn it . . . " Bakugo growled, feeling the intense muscle pains in both of his arms. "I'll kill you . . . "

Todoroki didn't say a thing to him. But Midnight came onto the battlefield and waved her sadistic whip. "Both Todoroki and Bakugo are unable to battle. This match is a draw!"

And just like that, the final match between Todoroki and Bakugo ended in a draw. Draws in the final matches aren't settled with ridiculous contests like arm wrestling. They are just counted as a draw and left at that. It would have to be resolved at the next year's U.A. Sports Festival. On the bright side of things, school wouldn't start again until a week after the festival. It was to give time for the students to recover and recuperate.

* * *

 ** _A Week Later . . ._**

"Whoa. How can you still look so pissed even after a week, Ka-chan?" Kirishima said as Bakugo walked in.

"Shut up. I'm looking for that girl."

"You'll need to be more specific. Ribbit." Tsu-chan said. "There's more than one girl in here."

"I'm not talking about you, extra." He growled. "Where is . . . what the hell was her name again? . . . Uraraka! Where is she?!"

"Ka-chan, calm down!" Kirishima chuckled nervously. "She's not here-"

"Oi! Deku!" He yelled, approaching him.

"Gah! Ka-chan! What is it?!"

"Where the hell is Uraraka?! I always see you with her. Now where is she?! Tell me or I'll kill you!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold on a second!" He said, backing up. "Why do you want to see Uraraka so much?"

"That's none of yer business, Deku! Where is-"

"You are all being so loud." Todoroki said from the back of the room.

"What'd you say, half-and-half bastard?!"

"I don't need to repeat myself."

"Seriously, Ka-chan. You need to simmer down." Kirishima said.

" . . . " He didn't say another word, feeling a vein pulse on his forehead.

 _All these annoying extras . . . They can all-_

"Is everyone here?" Mr. Aizawa walked into the room, well, more like stumbled into the room. He still looked as tired as ever. "Good, let's get homeroom started. Class rep-"

"I'm late! I'm so sorry!" The perky Uraraka bursts through the opening of the door to the classroom, sweating. She looked like she ran a marathon to get here. "I had some problems along the way. Please forgive me!" She said, bowing.

 _There she is! . . ._

"Whatever. Don't be late, next time." Mr. Aizawa said. "Sit down."

"Okay!"

There she was, walking to her seat. Bakugo couldn't restrain himself anymore, his anger boiling.

"Oi! You! Uraraka!"

She jumped, squeaking in shock at the sudden outburst from Bakugo. "Huh?! What?!"

"You have been a pain in my ass this past week!"

The whole class was stunned by this sudden outburst. This was unlike Bakugo. He never showed interest in anything other than the hero course itself. But now, here he was shouting at Uraraka for an unknown reason.

"Wha-?! What did I do?" She said, still shocked.

"I haven't been able to get the thought of our battle out of my mind all week long! It's annoying! What the hell did you do to me?!"

"Are you- what do you mean?"

His murderous expression slowly dropped and he simmered down slightly. "Forget it . . . But, I just felt like I need to say this . . . Uraraka, even though you're a weak extra with a pathetic Quirk . . . you fought good." He said, blushing slightly and sitting back down.

The whole class was silent in shock, even Mr. Aizawa was staring wide-eyed at Bakugo.

"Holy crap!" Kirishima shouted. "Was that a compliment from Ka-chan?! Did someone get that on video?!"

"Tell anyone outside this class I said this and I'll kill you!" Bakugo growled. "Besides, saying it will probably make the stupid battle get out of my head . . . But I thought her fighting spirit was . . . cool."

"HE DID IT AGAIN!" Everyone shouted.

Uraraka was so stunned by the things Bakugo was saying to him. She didn't even know what to think. This was the first time for her- no, for everyone, to be hearing something like this coming from him. But suddenly, that scary exterior that she always associated with him, it disappeared. When she finally came out of her state of shock, she blushed and went to her seat quietly, embarrassed, but flattered.

"Thank you . . . " She said. "I think that you're amazing, too."

"WHAT THE?!" Everyone was shocked by her reply.

"Enough!" Mr. Aizawa intervened before the class broke out in a strange riot. "Save this nonsense for after class. There are some things that I need to discuss with you all."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you for your patience, everyone. Here is chapter two. Also, I'm planning on leaving chapter one as it is rather than editing the part where Shoto and Katsuki tied in the UA Tournament. This story isn't really meant to be following the canon of the series.**_

 _ **Silas Dane**_

* * *

 _ **A Few Days Later . . .**_

Uraraka yawned as she made her way home. The sun was setting behind the horizon and the cool breeze made the hot summer much more bearable. Deku, unfortunately, had to do something with All Might. Iida also had something he needed to do. So, unfortunately for Uraraka, this walk was rather lonely.

"I wonder what All Might needs Deku for? . . . Maybe more training? But that wouldn't make sense since he is still recovering from his surgery." She said to herself. "What do they do when they're together?"

As she thought of the possible things they could do together, she heard an-all-too-familiar sound in the distance. The sound of an explosion.

"Oh no! Someone might be hurt!" She shouted, darting in the general direction.

But as she approached the source of the explosion- no, explosions. It became clear what was happening. Especially when she heard _that_ voice.

"You bastards like to pick on the weak, huh?! How about trying to mess with someone who can actually fight back!"

"Ahh! Somebody help!"

"He's gonna kill us!"

 _Bakugo!_

Sliding around the corner, the mere sight of the violence shocked Uraraka. Bakugo had one guy held up by the collar of his shirt, his other hand glowing with an explosion at the ready. Around him were two other guys, severely injured and burned.

"This should teach you to never-"

"Bakugo! STOP!"

He flinched, hearing her voice. Turning towards her, his eyes narrowed in irritation. "Don't interrupt me-"

"RUN!" The guys shouted. The one Bakugo was holding managed to use the distraction to get out of his grip and run with his friends.

"HEY! I'm not done with you-"

"What are you doing?!" Uraraka growled, touching Bakugo and suspending him in the air.

"What the- Why you-!"

"You're a hero in training! How could you go and do something so cruel?! You almost killed them!"

" . . . Put me down."

The calm tone of his voice surprised her. But after a few moments of consideration, she released her hold on him and he landed on his feet. For a moment, Uraraka thought he was going to charge her. Surprisingly, he didn't. What surprised her even more was his expression. It almost looked like he was . . . hurt.

Without saying another word, he grunted in irritation and departed from her.

After he had disappeared from her sight, the adrenaline had left Uraraka's system and her knees nearly buckled.

 _Gosh . . . Bakugo is scary . . . Why would he-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a piercing cry from a nearby alley. She darted in without a second thought, even though her legs wanted to cave. She didn't have to go far in order to find the source. It was a baby that was crying, with the mother. When she saw the apparent bruises and scrapes on the mother, she immediately fished for her phone.

"There's no need." The mother said to her. "That young man already called for an ambulance before you came- Sshh~ It's okay, sweetie . . . " She said, whispering assurances to her baby.

 _Does she mean Bakugo? . . ._

"Then I'll stay with you until the ambulance arrives." Uraraka said, kneeling next to the mother. " . . . What happened? Why are you injured?" She asked.

The mother didn't answer for a moment, cradling her baby. But before she even started speaking, her emotions started to choke her voice.

"Those men had been breathing down my neck for months . . . My husband had large debt he needed to pay because he lost a stupid bet he made . . . He couldn't pay it and tried to postpone the inevitable . . . But when the people he made the bet with demanded payment . . . he fled." She shook her head. "Guess who was left with the responsibility of paying that man's debt? . . . I had given birth to Masaki a few months ago. Because I didn't have a job, all of my savings were gone in order to pay for the medical bills . . . not to mention the monthly payments for the debt . . . It was only a matter of time before they came again and saw I didn't have enough money to meet the payment . . . "

The tears began to flow without restraint from the mother. Uraraka, also, began to get moist eyes.

"I have seen on the news all my life of heroes coming to save people in need . . . During these past months of suffering, I prayed that a hero would notice the trouble I was in and would come to rescue my son and I . . . And then- and then that young man came to my rescue . . . I don't know what he did to those men, but when he appeared- it was like an angel came to save us."

Uraraka was too emotional to even scoff at the idea of Bakugo being an angel. He was far from it and everyone that met him knew it, too. But this mother had no idea what he was like, so Uraraka didn't say anything. Uraraka was also emotional because she felt extremely guilty for the way she spoke to Bakugo . . . without knowing all of the facts.

"The ambulance is here." Uraraka said, hearing the familiar sound. "Are you able to stand, miss?"

The mother shook her head. "My legs are injured-"

"Then I'll go get the medical staff for you." She said, standing and running to the entrance of the alley.

After the ambulance had come to get the young mother and her baby, Uraraka left, saying goodbye. But the guilt that she felt was still present. She had to find a way to apologize to Bakugo.

 _Where did he go?_

Her thoughts only centered on Bakugo as she ran off into the general direction he went when he left. But after searching for an hour, she gave up.

 _I'll just find him at school tomorrow, then._

* * *

 ** _Same Day . . ._**

 _How am I going to apologize to him without making him even more mad? . . ._

"Hey, Bakugo. I still think what you did to those guys was wrong, but I'm sorry for not knowing the whole situation . . . . . . . NO! That isn't a good apology!" She grunted in frustration.

The words of the young mother still echoed in her mind. The money problem especially stuck with Uraraka. She wanted to help earn money so her father didn't have to work all the time.

"Bakugo. You're a great hero! I'm sorry I called you cruel- No, that won't work . . . " She sighed.

 _Why is this so hard?! . . ._

She remembered the expression Bakugo made before he left. The hurt that he showed burned in Uraraka's mind.

 _I'll think more about this tomorrow . . . It's almost two in the morning . . ._

She tried to get some sleep, but couldn't. The day's events replayed in her mind and prevented her from sleeping.

* * *

 _ **Homeroom . . .**_

"Uraraka! Are you okay?!" Tsu asked, being the first to notice Uraraka's less-than-appealing appearance.

Her hair wasn't kept and her clothes were wrinkled. Plus, her eyes looked heavy with exhaustion. She looked like she was going to collapse at any moment. But she looked at Tsu with her usual smile and nodded.

Slowly, she made her way to Bakugo's seat and stood in front of him.

"What do you want? . . . Aren't you a girl? Girls usually try their best to look pretty, right? You look like crap."

"My appearance doesn't mean much, compared to what happened last night . . . "

Everyone in the class became quiet at hearing that. All attention focused on the two.

"Last night? . . . Holy crap! Ka-chan! Don't tell me you and Uraraka were-"

"Shut your face, pathetic extra!" Bakugo shouted at Mineta. "I am not that kind of person!"

"He's blushing~" Tsu teased.

Before Bakugo could explode, Uraraka bowed her head. Then straightened her posture to look him in the eyes and say, "I'm sorry . . . for what I said last night."

Once again, the class became silent. Even Bakugo was stunned at the apology. But in that split-second, he saw Uraraka differently. That same fire within her eyes that he saw when they fought in the tournament.

 _This . . . girl . . . she's different than all the others._

"Apology accepted." Bakugo said, crossing his arms and looking away.

"HOLY CRAP! HE ACCEPTED AN APOLOGY!" The class exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Evening . . ._**

"So what exactly were you doing with Ka-chan yesterday?" Deku asked Uraraka.

"Nothing bad, if that's what you're thinking. He actually rescued a mother from three guys who were being mean to her."

"Really? Bakugo _rescued_ someone?" Iida asked, skeptical.

The trio were able to walk home together, finally. Things had been coming up and Uraraka found herself alone a few times already, with the exception of the day before. All Might needed Deku for whatever reason. Iida just seemed to be busy all the time, despite being in the same class as the others.

"Yeah, he did!" She said quickly, surprised to find herself defending the hothead. Deku and Iida were also evidently surprised by this. "At first, I thought he was just being himself: beating up anyone for no reason. I didn't see what he did, but I heard 'BOOM! PRSSSHH! KABLOOEY!' and then I heard someone calling for help. So I ran as fast as I could. And I saw him beating those three guys! I was scared because he had the same face he always does, you know? Just angry all the time like GRRR!~"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Uraraka." Deku chuckled. "You're going to fly to the moon with the amount of excitement you have right now."

"Very typical of her." Iida smiled.

"Sorry~ . . . Anyways. So I stopped Bakugo from hurting the guys even more. But then, I yelled at him and said all these horrible things to him, which I feel really bad for saying. But I apologized to him earlier, already. But then . . . he didn't get angry at me after I finished yelling at him."

"That is strange, indeed." Iida commented.

"Well, Ka-chan isn't all that bad. I know it may be hard to believe for you two. But underneath that rough exterior, Ka-chan is a good person."

 _Ever since yesterday . . . I'm starting to believe that myself._

"Hey, Deku."

"Hm?"

"Why does Bakugo want to become a hero?"

He didn't take long to come up with an answer. "Well, he always says that he wants to surpass All Might. He hates being weak and wants to be the strongest. I mean, you heard him say that he wanted to be number one in the tournament. But that's about it."

"That's it?" She wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"Yep, that's- Whoa!"

"There's gotta be more to it than just _that_ , Deku! I think you know more than I do-" She gasped, shocked that she had forced herself on Deku. Her hands were on his shoulders, shaking him desperately.

"Uraraka! What's gotten into you?" Iida intervened, separating the two. It wasn't difficult since Uraraka had slackened her grip the moment she realized what she was doing.

Instantly, she bowed, covering her face. "I'm so, so, sorry, Deku! I just- wanted to know!"

"No, no. It's fine, Uraraka~" Deku said, already forgiving her before she even apologized. "But- why are you so interested in Ka-chan all of a sudden?"

" . . . I don't know." She said, frankly.

 _Why am I so obsessed with him? . . ._

"It seems that Bakugo, also, has shown signs of interest in you recently, Uraraka." Iida commented.

"Me? What makes you say that? I'm nothing compared to him."

"If your story is true, this is the third encounter you've had with Bakugo where he hasn't lashed out at you with his temper. That is unusual, considering he would lash out at any other person without hesitation, even All Might." Iida said, stating his observations.

"Maybe he finally acknowledged her capabilities since the tournament." Deku said.

"Perhaps . . . " The two started talking to each other about the matter, leaving Uraraka to her thoughts.

 _. . . Him? Taking an interest in me? But he doesn't like me! That can't be true . . ._

Deku's words still echoed in her mind. His words about why Bakugo wanted to become a hero.

 _That doesn't feel . . . right. He has to have another reason for wanting to be a hero! He didn't rescue that mother yesterday for fame and attention. If he did, he wouldn't have beaten them that badly with so many people watching- . . . I'm starting to think like Deku, now~_

"Deku. Iida." She interrupted their conversation. "I just remembered that I have something to do at home that's urgent. I'll see you both tomorrow at school!" She said, running off before they could stop her.

* * *

 _ **A Few Minutes Later . . .**_

 _There he is!_

She got excited, seeing the familiar hothead's form in the distance. If she was going to be honest, this was stalking. She had started following him as quiet as she could inside the compact neighborhood. The sun had already set completely and the moon was rising to take its place.

About ten minutes had gone by before he turned a corner. As soon as she turned the corner, she squeaked, jumping back in surprise. Bakugo was standing right there in front of her.

"Why are you following me?" He asked, irritated. "Do you have a death wish?"

Uraraka gulped. She didn't expect him to notice her. She had been extra quiet because she used her Quirk on herself.

"Well?!" He growled.

 _Crap! What do I say?! Ah- Um- Uh- . . . Oh! That should work!_

"I wanted to tell you that the mother you rescued yesterday is okay. I watched her until the ambulance came to pick her up." She said, releasing her Quirk.

His eyes softened for a moment, a very, very tiny hint of relief showing on his expression before changing back to his usual scowl. "So?"

"That's it?" She said. "Aren't you going to visit her?"

"No. Why should I?"

"She wants to thank you. She thinks you're an angel." She said, smiling.

Even Bakugo scoffed at that remark. "Well, good for her. I didn't do it to rescue her. Those idiots were just pissing me off. But maybe I could drop by-" He stopped, realizing he said more than he wanted to. "Get lost, extra. And stop following me." He brushed her shoulder lightly going pass her in the opposite direction.

" . . . Why do you want to become a hero?" She turned around, blurting out the question.

He stopped in his tracks. There was a moment of silence before he turned around to face her. "Why the hell do you care?"

"I asked Deku and-"

He didn't say anything to that, but the fierce glare he gave her was worth a thousand words. She knew what he was thinking, but his glare did not discourage her.

"And I didn't believe him completely when he told me the reason why you want to become a hero. He told me that you want to be the best, even better than All Might, that you hated weakness . . . But after seeing you last night, I think there's more to it."

"It's none of yer business. Again, why the hell do you care?!"

" . . . I want to become a hero . . . so I can earn money to help my parents. My family is broke and I want to help them so they can have easier lives . . . " She looked up from staring at the ground, looking at Bakugo. "I think you share the same goal I do: to become a hero in order to help your parents."

His eyes widened in shock, but it was the reaction Uraraka thought would happen. After snapping out of his shock, his expression devolved into the most terrifying image of anger and wrath that she's seen so far. Then he approached her. Uraraka was terrified, but couldn't flee because she was frozen in place by terror.

Once he was an inch away from her face, he spoke to her again. "You know NOTHING about me! And you are starting to sound more like Deku! AND THAT PISSES ME OFF!"

She shut her eyes, preparing for the inevitable strike. But to her surprise, after a few seconds, nothing happened. When she opened her eyes again, she could see the fist close to the left side of her face, the heat from his Quirk warming the air near her.

"You both think that you can come to conclusions just by looking at what a person does or says! But in the end, YOU KNOW NOTHING! You think that's the reason why I want to become a hero?! Well, guess what? YOU'RE F* RIGHT! CONGRATULATIONS!" He growled.

And for the first time in her life, she saw tears coming from the hothead.

"I want to be the strongest, even stronger than All Might . . . because I've seen what happens to people who are weak. My mother was weak . . . And she didn't stand a chance against my sh*y father . . . You wanna know what I did when I got my Quirk? . . . Do ya?!"

Uraraka didn't dare move, seeing that he was angry again. But he answered his own question, anyways.

"I wanted to kill him! But the coward fled before I could . . . and I made sure he never came back to hurt my mother, EVER AGAIN!" He growled. "I want to become the strongest hero ever . . . SO NO ONE CAN EVER HURT MY MOTHER EVER AGAIN! I HATE BEING WEAK-!" He grunted, pushing her away and stepping back. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you! Get lost! Go ahead and tell Deku what you heard, if you want! I don't care! . . . "

Uraraka was still trying to process everything she heard as Bakugo quickly began to create distance between them, walking home.

In that moment, Iida's words replayed in her head. His words about Bakugo never lashing out at her during the three times she's encountered him. But in this encounter, he did. And strangely enough . . . she wasn't offended. In fact, she felt a strange sense of joy: at finally being yelled at by Bakugo.

Before he disappeared completely from sight, Uraraka cupped her hands around her mouth and with a big grin on her expression, she shouted, "Bakugo!~ I think you will make a great hero one day!"

* * *

Bakugo flinched when he heard her outburst. He had already calmed down from his earlier rant and was back to his usual self. But the fact that her compliment made him feel uncomfortable made him walk faster.

 _Who does she think she is?_

"Shut up . . . You piss me off to no end." He muttered, smirking without realizing it.


End file.
